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A problem with battery drain

Discussion in 'Camera Building, Repairs & Modification' started by Alex Bishop-Thorpe, Sep 20, 2009.

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  1. Sep 20, 2009 #1
    Alex Bishop-Thorpe

    Alex Bishop-Thorpe Advertiser

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    I've got a Nikon Super Zoom-8, which is a pretty nice little super-8 camera, but mine suffers from a rather annoying issue. It takes four AA batteries, which last around an hour before they're dead. This is without any use on my part, there's no sort of on/off switch with this camera, but I leave it in the locked position when it's not in use (not sure if that makes any difference, but it's worth a shot) and when I grab it again the batteries are flat. I'm forced to take the batteries out whenever there's a break in shooting, which is both inconvenient and a little silly.

    Does anyone have any ideas what would cause four AA batteries to be exhausted in such a short time? I'm assuming there's a fairly simple electronic explenation, but electronics arent really my strong point, and apart from this one problem the thing's a dream to use.
     
  2. Sep 20, 2009 #2
    jnanian

    jnanian Advertiser Advertiser

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    i have a minolta light/flash meter that does the same thing.
    those batteries cost a fortune ...

    i take the battery out ..
     
  3. Sep 20, 2009 #3
    David William White

    David William White Member

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    Measure the resistance between the + and - terminals in the battery compartment, with the switch in the off position. Should be really really high; but if not, there is a drain somewhere. By tracing with a meter, you might be able to isolate where the drain is.
     
  4. Sep 20, 2009 #4
    ic-racer

    ic-racer Member

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    I'm not familiar with that system, but some EE (electronic exposure) systems can take a lot of juice to power the auto diaphragm unit. Perhaps your meter is not turning off when the motor stops?
     
  5. Sep 20, 2009 #5
    tiberiustibz

    tiberiustibz Member

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    Most likely there's some switch in there or something else that's shorted.
     
  6. Sep 22, 2009 #6
    John Hermanson

    John Hermanson Member

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    AA batteries that drain in an hour would be really hot when you took them out of the camera. I bet there's something else wrong with the camera that makes the batteries appear dead when they aren't. John